People who can afford an ereading device can afford all proposed ebook prices.
Ok, you caught me. It's true - I can afford more. You are 100% absolutely, unequivocally, undeniably, indisputably correct. I can pay $20 for a book. Hell, I can pay $40 for a book, although I'd probably have to start reading a bit fewer titles at that price point / switch back to paper.
You know what - I bought milk just as often two years ago when it was $4.79 a gallon as I do today when it's under $4. I drove damn near as often when gas was $4 a gallon as I do now when it's $2.65 at last glance, and that's about as often as when it was $1.00 a gallon. In fact, I can pay more for many things, although if everything cost more all at once I'd have less of those things (and do: inflation mixed with stagnant salaries has been a bitch).
What Shatzkin eloquently states:
Has anybody ever found anybody who would prefer to pay more for anything they buy?
I counter with a slightly harsher: "There's absolutely no way in hell I'll buy books from a publisher who wants me to pay more just because I can if there are others that aren't quite as crazy."
Look - at some point, you're just going to piss off your consumers beyond the point at which they'll grin and bear it. I've come out in favor of agency deals, even though it means cost goes up. I want the authors, publishers and retailers to all be profitable in the short term, so in the long run they still bother to write/publish/sell eBooks. A bonus is the promise of no more 2 - 7 month delays - I actually get something.
Nobody respects a fool and his money. I worked in publishing for a few years earlier in my career, a magazine publisher in fact. We had two main guys in charge. One I would occasionally bump into on the subway when we came in at similar times. The other paid his limo driver to sit on the corner, and circle if the cops came by, all day - 8-10 hours sometimes, so if he had to go somewhere, say... lunch, he wouldn't have to wait. I'm sure that guy (Christopher Meigher if you are wondering) might be willing to spend $20 for an eBook just because, but most of us regular folk don't want to without a damn good reason.
In my other professional life (the one that pays the bills), I purchase a lot of IT equipment. Quite frequently I'm hired to build entire data centers (well, small ones at least) and those bills can be six figures... but just as often seven figures. I was just talking to a long time vendor of mine who remarked on several points about dealing with me:
- That I always pushed for a good price.
- That sometimes I pushed for a absurdly great price, but usually with reasons (unrealistic budgets that leave no choice).
- That I always call competitors but never play them against each other, round after round, and pull a deal from someone last minute because I can save a few thousand dollars.
- That there were clients he literally stopped returning the calls of because of some of the same tactics he commends me for not having.
You think I'd still call that guy if he squeezed me the way some publishers think they can squeeze us, the consumer?
Is an eBook worth more than a hardcover or paperback? Nope. It's worth "almost" as much as a hardcover when hardcovers are exclusively out (you need to subtract for printing, for sure). It's worth "very much almost" as much as a paperback when paperback editions are out (since they have an even smaller printing cost).
Is it worth more because we can buy $259 devices and therefore "can afford it"? Good question. Octane aside, should a Mercedes owner pay more per gallon than a Hyundai owner, just because?
You want me to pay more than $10 to $15 for an eBook, fine - give it to me a month before the print edition. I'll do it (sometimes) for (some) titles. If we're really the folks with money, stop treating us like the red headed step child in a family of blonds.
Special thanks to A Kindle World who reminded me I'd missed this one gem of a comment.
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I think an ebook can actually be worth more than a hardcover, since, along with the content, you get the portability and every other element that are advantages of the ereading experience. I doubt very much that many ereader buyers made the buying decision just to save money on book purchases, though, thus far, that has been the case and my ereaders (plural) are already paid for, by savings.
ReplyDeleteA common complaint I see is that you can't resell or lend eBooks. While the latter is true (although doesn't cost me anything), to be honest, i've never sold a book in my life (although I've donated hundreds).
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